Floor covering



Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOZIER FINLEY, OF BERKELEY, CALIFOR NIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE' PARAIFFINE COM- PANIES, INQ, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FLOOR COVERING No Drawing.

gums, other From the beginning of the industry, floor coverings of the type known as felt base lloor cove-rings have been made according to a practically unvarying procedure, which is substantially as follows:

A sheet of felt similar in many respects to roofing felt, but of somewhat more dense character, is saturated with an asphaltic compound having a softening point of from 115 to 145 F. This felt base is then coated on both sides with a China wood oil, or a linseed oil, base paint. The coating on the underside is comparatively carries sufiicient pigment to hide the black colorof the asphalt in the felt base; this pigment usually being a commercial grade of iron oxide,,'or a cheap filler toned with iron oxide. The upper surface of the floor coveringreeeives a much thicker coating of the paint. This upper coating may be designated as a sealcoat in that it seals the asphalt in the felt and prevents the black color of the asphalt bleeding into the print coats which are super-imposed on the seal coat. These print coats are practically varnish enamels, and are applied by means of a system of block printing. Instead of a print paint being applied over the seal coat, it is not unusual to apply a solid color coating of either brown or dark green paint. This produces a floor covering of a type designed to imitate the so-called Fbattleship linoleum, for use in oflice buildings, schools, libraries, and the like.

However, any floor covering comprising .a felt base impregnated with a dark colored saturant has the inherent disadvantage that.

A further commercial handicap is placed on the manufacturer of this class of floor CQlll- 7 light, but

' Application filed January 24, 1927. Serial No. 163,312.

covering. in that for many years the manufacturers of cork hnoleums published in their advertisements a statement to theefiect that a material which exhibited a black interror or underbody on tearing was not to' be classed as a linoleum, thereby giving the impression that all floor coverings exhibiting a black undcrbody or interior were inferior.

Therefore, oneof the objects of the present invention is the production of a strong, durable, and reasonably flexible floor covering with a felt or felt paper base capable of being coloredto appear substantially the same as the wearing surface of thefinished product. r

A further object of the invention is the production of a floor covering of the class above described by such a process that it is unnecessary to impose a seal coat between the saturated felt and the super-imposed coatings.

Another object of the invention is the production of a floor covering having a high degree of strength so that the comnion fault of tearing during handling is obviated; and also one more highly resistant to injury thru pressure so that normal use does not result in depressed or dented areas.

The invention possesses other objects and valuable features, some of which with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred fprm of my invention. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific disclosure made by said description, as I may adopt variations of the preferred form within the scope of my, invention as set forth in the claims.

In general, my invention comprises a floor covering having a predetermined color throughout its body portion because of the employment of a light colored or pigmented felt saturated with a solvent of substantially light color, which may or may not contain a soluble dye.

Felts of the type ordinarily used in floor coverings cannot be made to give a saturated roduct of any other color than black or substantially black if a clear saturant is used. If the saturant contains a soluble dye, this dye cannot be sufliciently concentrated to overcome the etfect of the black rags which enter into the composition of the usual fclts; the result being that the product is; still black. If, however, white or very light rags are used exclusively for the felt, or an admixture of these rags with other light colored fibers, such as natural sulphite or even kraft fiber, it becomes possible to produce light colored felt which may be iven a brown or even greenish color by t e use of a clear saturant to which has been added a soluble coloring material. In no case, however, is it possible to color the product by means of a pigment mixed with or ground into the saturant. In order to have a pigment sufficiently fine to escape being filtered out of the saturant by the felt, the pigment particles would have to be actually colloidal, or else the feltwould have to be so porous that pigments composed of non-colloidal particles would be carried into the felt structure by the saturant, and would be thoroughly and uniformly distributed throughout the sheet. Neither of these two 'extremes,-colloidal pigment particles or ex.-

treme porosity in the felt,-are practicable.

In order then, to secure a felt which is uniformly colored throughout, we may use: (1') A felt which is initially colored throughout in the process of manufacture and a saturant'which is sufficiently light to permit the color of the felt to'be dominant.

(2) A felt composed wholly of very light colored, or white, fibrous material in conjunction with a clear coiored saturant, presunlably colored by a soluble dye.

(3) Both of these procedures maybe employed cooperatively in the same piece'of material. I

In accordance with the preferred procedure, a felt for use as the base of a floor covering'is prepared, comprising substantiall light coloredfelt-making fibrous stock. combination of fibrous material which has been found to yield a satisfactory light colored base comprises the following:

, ,Partshy I weight Mixed cotton rags s 75 Burlap -5 1O \Vaste paper 10 \V' olen rags 5 Kraft fibern 100 To this combination the following pigment can be added if it be desired to pro- Parts by weight French ochfe Red iron oxide s 5 It is to be understood, of course, that American ochre may be used in place of Frenclr' ochre, or other pigments to give any desired shade. Chrome green may be used to give a green color to the product, or ultramarine blue to give a blue color.

This stock is beaten in paper mill beaters in the usual way, care being taken to leave the fiber sufficiently long to produce a felt sheet instead of the harder paper sheet which might otherwisebe made from the same stock. I prefer to size the sheet with approximately l of rosin size in order to fix the pigment. Another satisfactory manner -of fixing the pigment is by operating the paper machine in what is generally known as afclosed cycle as regards the reuse of water in the machine. This automatically conserves the pigment.

The felt sheet is made from this stock in the ordinary manner of making a felt for saturation purposes on a cylinder or Four- 7 drinler machine. The felt is then impregnated with a saturant, comprising ester gum cooked with China wood oil (tung oil) in the proportion of two pounds of the gum to one gallon of the oil, this quantity of saturant being thinned with about five pints of turpentine or turpentine substitute. Preferablyl-fi gallons of liquid cobalt drier is added to each 100 gallons of the saturant,

and before use the mixture is heated to The felt is passed into the warm saturant, .1

allowed to absorb'whatever amount it will, and-then passed between squeeze rollers to remove any excess saturant. The felt is then dried on racks or a festooning device in a temperature in the neighborhood of 110 F. l

This saturated felt formsa suitable base on which a paint may be applied to both sides even before the saturant has dried. The object of this coating paint is to smooth up the surface by filling the depressions. When this has dried, a wearing surface may be applied, either of a uniform color, or in the form of a design in colors. -To imitate battleship linoleum, a felt having as its principal coloring agent the proportional amount of French ochre called for in the above procedure may be used, and a coating andywearing surface of a general yellowish brown color may be used. It can be readily understood 'how this procedure may be modified to produce a uniformly colored floor covering of a greenish, or any other, color.

Vhile a saturant composed of China wood oil and ester gum has been described as embodying the preferred procedure, other good out gums. For instance, aspar varnish" composed ofv linseed oil and kauri gum is substantially colorless, and is'readily adapt.- able as a saturant.

A satisfactory saturant may also be made from non-drying oils, or greases, with or tially light colored felt base containing light 7 colored stock and impregnated with a satuwithout the admixture of a varnish gum, to produce a light colored saturant which is highly viscid at ordinary temperatures, such for example as 50 parts by weight of ester gum and parts of petroleum grease melted together. Both drying and nondrying oils are included under the term nonvolatile oils, and under the term' gum I include both gums and resins which either alone or in combination with non-volatile .oils or greases may be utilized in the production of a non darksaturant possessed of very high viscosity 'at ordinary temperatures. Caoutchouc is a material popularly classified as agum, and in the'form of latex is an example of a gum which maybe used as a saturant without first combining with a non-volatile oleaginous substance.

A floor covering made in accordance: with my invention is very much tougher than asphalt saturated felt base coverings, so that during handling and laying of the cov erings,tearing is largely prevented. Furthermore, it is far more resistant to pressure than present types of floor coverings. A

pressure of 800 pounds to the square inch will dent ordinary floor coverings, but leaves no mark on my product. Similarly too, heavy heel pressure, falling objects or the pressure of the edge of a chair leg which will badly scar older types of floor coverings, make only slight marks on mine. I find too that even prolonged exposure to water does not injure my fioor covering, a highly important quality both in domestic and public uses.

The term light colored as used in the specification and claims is meant to include those colors of a light shade such as green, blue, red, orange and brown to distinguish from colors black or substantially dark in appear ance.

I claim:

1. A floor covering comprising a felt base containing light colored stock and pigment to produce a light colored body and impregtaining a saturant soluble coloring material. 4. A floor covering comprising a felt base containing light colored stock and pigment to produce a light colored body and 1mpregnated with a substantially light colored saturant containing a saturant soluble col oring material.

5. A floor covering comprising a substanrant comprising a drying oil and a gum.

'6. Afioor covering comprising a substantially lightcolored felt base containing light colored stock and impregnated with a saturant comprising a varnish,

7 ;-'A floor covering comprising a substantially light colored felt base containing light colored stock and impregnated with a saturant comprising a colored varnish.

8. A floor covering comprising a substanmated with a saturant comprising ester gum and a drying oil. I

11. A floor covering comprising a felt base containing light colored stock and pigment to produce a light colored body and impregnated with a saturant comprising a colored varnish.

12. A floor covering comprising a felt base containing light colored stock and pigment to produce a light colored body and impregnated with a saturant comprising ester gum and'a dr ing oil.

13. A oor covering comprising a felt base containing light colored stock and pigment to produce a light colored body and impregnated with a saturant comprising ester gum cooked with China wood oil.

' 14. A floor covering comprising a felt base containing light colored stock and pigment to produce a light colored body and impreignated with a saturant comprising a var- IllS 15. A floor covering comprising a felt base impregnated with a substantially light colored saturant, the felt base comprising substantially light colored fibrous material and substantially'light colored pigment.

16. Afloor covering comprising a felt base impregnated with a substantially light colored saturant, the felt base comprising approximately 200 parts by weight of sub stant'ially light colored fibrous material and approximately '55 parts by weight of substantially light colored pigment.

ored saturant, the felt base comprising approximately 200 parts by weight of substantially light colored fibrous material of which parts are rag fiber, and approximately 55 parts by weight of substantially light colored pigment.

18. A floor covering comprising a felt base impregnated with a substantially light colorcd satin-ant, the felt base comprising ap proximately 200 parts by weight of substantially light colored fibrous material .and approximately 55 parts by weight of ochre and red iron oxide.

19. The process of making a floor covering which comprises making a felt base from substantially light colored stock, and im )regnating the base with a substantially lig t colored varnish satin-ant. including in the floor covering a coloring material for determining the color of the product.

20. The process of making a floor covering which comprises making a felt base from substantially light colored stock, including approximately 2 ft of mineral pigment and 8031 of fibrous material, and impregnating the base with a substantially light colored saturant.

21. The process of making a floor covering which comprises making 'a felt base from substantially light colored stock, and impregnating the base with a saturant comprising a colored varnish.

22. The process of making a floor covering which comprises making a felt base from substantially light colored stock, and impregnating the base with a saturant including ester gum cooked with China wood oil.

23. A floor covering comprising a substantially light colored felt base containing light colored stock and impregnated with a sat-urant comprising a non-volatile oil and a gum.

24. A floor covering comprising a sub-' stantially light colored felt base impregnated with a substantially light colored saturant and having a wearing surface conifelt floor covering which comprises mixing pigment with the fibrous stock for the felt, forming the resultant mass m a sheet, and

impregnating the sheetwith a light colored saturant.

29. The process of making a light colored felt floor covering which comprises employing light colored fibrous stock for the felt. mixing pigment with said stock. forming the resultant mass ina sheet, and impregnating the sheet with a light colored saturant.

30. A floor covering comprising a felt base of light colored fibrousstock and containing substantially light colored pigment in the body thereof, said base being impregnated with a substantially light colored saturant highly viscid at ordinary temperatures.

31. A floor covering comprising a felt base of light colored fibrous stock and containing substantially light colored pigment in the body thereof. said base being impregnated with a substantially light colored saturaut highly viscid at ordinary temperatures, and a wearing surface comprising a coating of substantially the same color as the base.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

DOZIER FINLEY.

prising a coating of substantially the same color as the saturated base.

25. A floor covering comprising a substantially light colored felt base impregnated with a substantially light colored saturant comprising a non-volatile olcaginous composition and having a wearing surface comprising a coating including portions of substantially the same color as the saturated base.

26. A floor covering comprising a substantially light colored felt base impregnated with a saturant comprising a gummous material and China wood oil.

27. A floor covering comprising a substantially light colored felt base impregnated with a saturant comprising China wood oil. 29 e process of making a light colored 

